Fat Burning Secrets

Boost your metabolism into high gear by reprograming your body for maximum health and weight loss.

Cut the carbs

It may be a hard pill to swallow if you love your bagels as much as we do, but simple carbs simply aren’t good for us. A diet heavy in bread, pasta, cereal, rice and other starchy foods makes our metabolism sluggish and weight loss nearly impossible. Not to mention, grains quickly turn into sugar after they’ve been metabolized, which sends our bodies on a sugar-fueled roller coaster ride. Try replacing grains with fruits, veggies and lean protein and you will see the difference in your metabolism almost immediately. If you can keep your daily intake under 150 carbs, excess weight will naturally melt away.

Fill up on fiber

Stay full longer on less! Fiber-rich fruits and veggies take longer to digest so our bodies feel full longer while consuming less calories. Unlike starchy grains which actually activate hunger and can cause you to overeat, it’s very hard to consume too many vegetables. Start every meal with a light soup or salad and you will consume less of high-calorie main dishes. A good rule of thumb is to fill your plate at least half-full with fresh fruits and vegetables at every meal—you’ll get full fast and stay satisfied longer.

Get spicy

Not only do spicy foods naturally rev up your metabolism, but they can help you eat less. James Hill, PhD, and former president of the American Society for Nutrition, explains, "Americans eat too fast. By the time your body signals that it's full, you've overeaten. Eating slower is a good weight-loss strategy, and making food spicier is an easy way to do it."

Go lean

Lean protein is one of the staples of every healthy diet. Not only is it an excellent source of nutrition, but it helps to prevent overeating. When planning your meals for the week, try to incorporate more fresh fish, chicken, turkey, beef, eggs and low-fat dairy, while cutting back on packaged foods, sodas, desserts and other high-calorie snack foods.

Move it

We often assume that working out is a direct path to weight loss, but new research seems to show otherwise. Current studies demonstrate that exercise actually suppresses the resting metabolic rate, which means the formula to weight loss is a lot more complicated than once believed. Gary Taube, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat explains that it’s not the total number of calories eaten vs. calories burned that matters in weight loss, but rather the type of calories consumed. Diets heavy in carbs can impede weight loss, even if you are doing lots of exercise. The solution? Eat a low-carb diet and get a moderate amount of exercise to get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to weight loss.